Litnet

"The fruit most likely
to wither on the vine
is the apple of your eye"

"Time to part with what I’ve gleaned,
pick your favourite, he said,
I’ll print it, frame it, bring it round."

Read a poem by Heidi Henning.

"Everything is spiraling, feathery"

"He feels the warmth of the old man’s arm around his shoulders, and then the pat on his back. 'I know. The world can be a terrible place. We won’t be able to change that. But, you are prepared for it – as much as anyone can be. You will be okay if you use what you have to make it better.'"

"She knows in advance to prepare herself. She doesn’t know the face of the person she is going to speak to. Anyway, they’re anonymous. This suits her personality."

"I spit out
my mother tongue"

"I don’t desire our time
to be another document"

"don’t cry
honour the pride of my life
by joining in when they dance and sing"

"With you I stopped thinking
about Adam and Eve
and their fig leaves."

"Althea’s rapist moved back in with his wife of six years in early November."

"I can only think of this.
That you can’t take photographs of
your healing."

"The mysteries of my sorrows
are like a constellation beyond
the trees."

"He made careful movements
with his hands. Played a cloud study of water vapour gospel with his guitar."

"And I was left thinking that glasses
make a face look interesting.
Even handsome. Even intelligent."

"Moses’ forty years in the wilderness
became my own. I am a machine. A new leaf. I know
how to restore my own soul."

"Barefoot in the sunny road of my dreams, I tell myself this./ Babies cry. All babies cry."

"Emptiness will
be on your tongue. It will
be your mother tongue
until a replacement comes along."

"I think of you sitting down or
washing the dishes. Eating
a simple meal, never understanding
how much I love you."

"He wonders what the right
language of love is for winter guests.
How to make peace with his wife."